Everything You Need To Know About The Playstation Network Outage

It has been almost a week since Playstation Network went offline because of an external intrusion.

Since Sony's still relatively quiet on the details of what happened and how it will impact us. How long until we can play Portal 2 online, fatalize our buddy on the other side of the country in Mortal Kombat? Is my credit card info safe? Will I keep whatever offline trophies I earn?

Drop more in here and we'll see what we can do to get to the bottom of them for you.

The BIG PSN Outage FAQ
How long has PSN been down?

The system went down last Wednesday, April 20th. (That's six days if you're keeping score.)

When will it be back?

No one really knows, not even Sony. Current rumours suggest that PSN may be going back online in Japan today (4/25), with the US and Europe coming back tomorrow. (4/26)

Can I play games without going online, either by myself or with a friend locally?

Absolutely. Almost every PS3 game, whether it's played via disc or download, will work so long as you're using a mode that doesn't require PSN access. (That's internet multiplayer, mostly.) There is a small exception to this, which I'll explain a little later.

What about using a LAN?

Sure, a setting up a little LAN party would be a great alternative. The only problem is that the selection of LAN-capable PS3 games is pretty limited.

Is Anonymous responsible?

Probably not. The group has publicly denied their involvement, and there has been no definitive proof to say otherwise.

So why are they being arrested?

They aren't. The rumour is based on an old press release from January.

If the network was hacked, should I be worried that someone is stealing my credit card number?

Sony has said that they are investigating whether or not any credit information was stolen. As of now, they haven't said anything about the status of that investigation. So far there have been no credible reports of identity theft connected to the shutdown.

Some games use digital rights management to prevent piracy. Will that effect my ability to play?

So I can't play any games online or use PSN. Can I still use non-game PSN apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc?

Nope. No game modes, apps or DLC connected to either PSN or Qriocity are currently available.

What about features like the browser, which use the internet, but aren't connected to PSN?

Users have reported via forums that the PS3 browser still works.

Can I still get system updates?

The system update feature is not connected to PSN and is therefore functional. (Ever notice that you have to sign out of PSN to download an update?) Users can still also download system updates via the Playstation website.

Is there a chance my trophies could get wiped?

Trophies will not update as long as PSN is down, but since most of them are not internet-based, it's likely (but not definite) that the trophies that you earn during the shutdown will be added to your account when it updates once PSN is back online. If you were to delete your account or if your console were to crash, however, you would definitely lose any trophies earned while PSN is down. Currently, it is not possible to check trophies via the Playstation website.

Will I lose my saved game data?

Not likely, your saved game data is stored on your hard drive, and therefore should not be effected by outage.

Am I more likely to lose my data if I've been using the cloud storage feature of

Playstation Plus?

No. While you definitely aren't able to update any data you've saved in the cloud, the cloud data is technically a copy of whatever was saved from your machine, so even if the back-up data was lost your save would still be in tact on the machine where it was originally recorded.

Sony officials continue to work around the clock to bring the downed Playstation Network back online after an "external intrusion" forced the company to take the system down.

A Saturday night update said that the company is rebuilding their system to "further strengthen our network infrastructure",... More »

Comments

scott Guest

Apr 26, 2011, 10:07am

u can still use netflix with psn being down u just open netflix with it will ask u to sign into psn u do that it will say failed then u just hit circle ive been doing it all week only thing keeping me sane lol

I can still use netflix as well. It tries to sign in several times before the application loads, but once it is completely loaded, it stops bugging me about signing in and just lets me watch movies. I'm in Austin, Texas, USA, by the way.

i really dont get why anybody would be considering getting an xbox, psn will eventually be back online- even if they have to completely remake it. unless half of you dont have lives, i suggest go outside and meet up with (or GET) some friends.

if people are so worried about cc info, then CALL THE CC company... smh. they can check to see if any unauthorized charges have been made, make notes in case something happens down the road or even issue you a new card and number if you are that worried... but stop the needless whining, please.

Not quite, it didn't completely go down in '07, it was bloated because there was an influx of users at that time, which the servers were straining to handle. But it was up and down as it settled in.

PSN is DOWN and has been for six days now, because of hackers it seems. Not the same deal, but that's what you get for when you pay for a service vs. one you don't pay for. Especially when the company that offers the free one loses money on it, they just don't care.

From what I gather, Sony knew of this for quite some time, and waited till someone found it and took advantage of it to do anything about it.

Enjoy your downtime people, you're going to be going through it for awhile, while they rebuild the complete architecture of the PSN.

Ok so to get everything straight this wasn't just a random bored hacker Sony sewed a guy for jailbreaking a ps3 anonymous got word forced Sony to release him which they did but Sony started prosecuting people that used the website therefore missing this group of guys off so to show Sony and everyone else they weren't playing the went in and completely killed there network these guys can wipe out xbox if they wanted to they could fry your xbox so don't feel special because you have to pay for service lol

Not sure if this will work for all games, but I just inserted my new copy of Crysis 2 and I was able to download the update. Is the PSN coming alive again, or were you still able to download updates previously?

i hope it comes back up like they said. please put it back up and you now whats the funny thing that the day psn went down that waz the day i got my map packs for black ops so i hope they put it up so could play zombies

What the hell I had funds in my PSN wallet, PSN Plus and CC details to top up when needed.

Really NOT happy right now.

All I can suggest is that Game companies start working on patches to work around PSN logins as Sony only hosts authentication and not game servers for 3rd party games. I put Killzone 2 in to finish off the singleplayer stuff and even without PSN access downloaded latest patch and installed.

I feel that PSN should have had a better security system so things like this could never have happened. Although i do love my PSN and ps3 system i dont really want to go to xbox live. I enjoy the free online play. I just wonder how such a thing could have happened??

I heard that there were a group of kids that hacked the psn and when 1 was arrested the others demanded his release n when he wasnt let go they took the whole thing down. Rumors probably, any1 else hear that?

should i be worried about the already downloaded games in my download queue? i donwloaded final fantasy 7 and i don't have it on my ps3 as of yet because i just got my ps3 i had a psp but now a ps3. have the games in my download queue get wiped out?

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